Jon Sousa

And yet, your examples are of this year. We are still having QB problems post Herbert (this year); no one has come close to replacing Troy Dye (this year). Your concerns are certainly valid, but, as you say, taking this year with a grain of salt is also valid. Talking about concerns from year 1 of MC, to be fair, he was just starting. It will be two more years before everyone on the roster are MC recruits. Everyone thinks 5 years is necessary to assess a rebuild, and everybody everywhere thinks that this program is ahead of schedule.

Sorry, but I don't see that Oregon has a coaching problem at this time. Our most resent history is the 2020 season. Flush it. There are so many unknowns about what the team was facing this year that we really have no clue what was going on. We have no clue how many games the Ducks were way too close to not being able to play because of the 53 scholarship athletes able to play rule. We were told that there was at least one. We have no clue why certain athletes were not able to play in certain games. Micah Pittman's dad said that he wasn't sick, but he missed 2 or 3 games... Just because???? There were others that were out for no explained reason. We have mentioned that optouts had a huge impact on this last season. Youngest team in the country?? So, flush it... Don't take it seriously. Several people have said that MC is making great coaching hires. How can this be true at the same time that we have a coaching problem?? We fans seem to feel the walls caving in around us, but the fantastic, highly regarded, multi-star recruits don't see the walls crumbling down. They all signed and Oregon has it's best recruiting class in history. It looks like COVID is still going to have some impact on our spring, but it will be better than last year's spring. MC is still only 2 years into a rebuild at Oregon (2020 doesn't count). In his second year he won the conference and the Rose Bowl (2020 doesn't count). He has a three year winning streak having the best recruiting class in the PAC. He has the Ducks moving in the right direction. 2020 doesn't count.

This is not a done deal yet. I am still hoping AA is staying. It is very nice to see that another strong candidate is in the mix. The fact that AA interviewed for the job says he is interested. I am hoping he is wanting to see how good of a DC he can be in the highest level of college ball with top notch recruits.

Respect everyone, fear no one.

"All good things (for Colorado) must come to an end." Today is as good a day as any for their home winning streak to come to an end. The thing about long streaks, winning or losing, is the added pressure they CAN add to the players and coaches. Either way, it puts undue pressure on everyone. Just go out there and play your best game.

Go Jamal! We appreciate all your work!

Larger font is always good. What I would like to see is at least a slightly larger picture above our names. They are so small that even in close face shots like your's and David Marsh's are hard to see (though I can still make out the stubble on BigDuckFan's face).

I almost made this point, but decided not to. Yes, it could have helped, but can't say how much.

It's hard to have a favorite with so many talented young ladies on the team.... I do like #12, Te-Hina Paopao though.

This is OREGON where banana slugs grow BIG. Also... ducks eat slugs.

Well, DUHHHH. Of course they should. Still, no one, but NO ONE is remembering that UW was supposed to WIN the North by traveling to Autzen... the game that would decide the North representative to the PAC 12 Championship game. UW didn't make that road trip because of COVID problems. In my mind (though not the rules that the PAC decided on), UW forfeited that game and therefore the Ducks had every right to go. How can anyone say that the Huskies would have definitely won that game, 1) when they had not won a single road game all season, and 2) when the Ducks played as well as they did the next week in the championship game?????? IMNSHO the Ducks would have beat WA and then USC before going to Arizona to get humiliated.

I'm just shocked that Brady Hoke isn't on this list. My vote for DC next year is Andy Avalos. Just sayin.

It took me a while to figure out what you were talking about because I didn't watch any football today. Simple answer: No, we are not there yet. Observation slightly off topic... It is great to see both Clemson and the Domers lose. Maybe the ACC isn't any better than the PAC. I am rooting for tOSU to win it all.

Are CAL, Oregon State and Iowa State all on the same level?? Seems to me that any objective analysis would say, "No WAY!"

"...unbridled anticipation and joy?" I'm looking forward to seeing a good game and I am hoping for a win. I definitely have no concern about which team is going to show up. The Ducks are going to show up. The team that played USC is the same team that played OSU, with a few differences due to injury, protocols, and who practiced well that week. I recognize that football is an emotional game as well as one of preparation, practice, and execution. I also know that it is played with a pointy ball that is very hard and bounces very irregularly. Football is a game with momentum shifts. On one third and long Shough threw a perfect pass to DJ Johnson who caught the ball and then lost it as he was bringing it to his chest. He was then hit and the ball fell to the ground. That dropped ball resulted in a punt to USC. Momentum was lost, for sure, but what did it do Shough's confidence? I respectfully disagree with you that the Ducks "have the clear roster and talent advantage". We have seen it over and over again the last few years. An elite HS recruit comes in and you suppose they will be an instant starter, but they sit behind a starter who came out of HS with one or even two less stars. KT was the best recruit in the country but even he was second string learning behind a senior who was better than him. KT originally came in for limited situations. He probably would not have started the whole year had the senior not gotten injured. KT had to learn a whole lot more a whole lot faster and did well. Yes, the Ducks have more stars on their roster, but most of those stars are in their first or second year at Oregon. That does not make them better than the juniors and seniors who are playing for ISU. ISU is a very good team. They just missed winning the BIG 12 championship. They have a very good defense with a scheme that the Ducks have not seen much of. Shough is going to be starting his 7th game with no experience reading that defense live (for this reason alone, Brown might be a better choice). ISU has one of the best, if not the best, running backs in the country. Their offense is a well oiled machine. Their QB, while a HS rival of Shough, has a lot more college experience than Shough. What do I expect???? I expect the Ducks to win... and I am hoping that they win going away.

Culture is complicated with many facets and interconnections. Part of the culture is family. Everybody says this. The main ingredients of the family part of the culture are being comfortable around each other, being supportive of each other, the ability to be yourself, and having fun together. The family part of the culture Mario is building is conducive to enjoying the game and letting your natural talents flourish. How that meshes with the tough, physical, "impose your will on the the opponent" part of the culture, I have no clue since I don´t live in that culture. I point this out just to say that I don´t think that the tough part of the culture is overpowering the family part of the culture. Shough´s problems are related to Shough, not to the culture. If it was a culture problem it would be more wide spread than just one QB.

Gruden is said to really like MM. As we saw in that last game, Gruden also knows how to give Marcus what he needs to succeed as far as scheme is concerned. He also has the beef to protect Mariota. All that said, I don´t like MM leaving. He would have played more if he stayed healthy... MM´s only problem with staying anywhere.

Nice flashback... BUT... it gave me another flashback... of a certain Auburn guy who rolled off an Oregon player and then rumble on down the field. Was he down? Was he not down? in the flashback above he was definitely NOT down.

We also might need 30+ points to win this game.

It all depends on how he is practicing this week. Last game Brown was in with H-L in short yardage and goal line... by design and practicing. I wonder if there isn't and expansion of Brown sets that wouldn't easily insert him into whole drives should Shough falter. If this is a must win game then MC and Moorhead have to be willing to pull him if the need arises.

I just love seeing Kayvon Thibodeaux "finessing" QBs to the ground.

Why can't kids see that a few years in college to mature, learn, and hone skills can be beneficial??? How are our "one and done"s doing???

Absolutely GREAT for the Oregon Ducks!

True indeed. Unfortunately, not very many can see that. "Money Can't Buy You Love"... and yet....

Not even a QB sneak with Brown running it?????